Electrician Degree - Online and Campus Programs

If you are technically savvy, enjoy using your hands, and are looking for a career that gets you out of the office, learn more about the lives of electrician technicians.

How to Become an Electrician

Electricians, or electrical technicians, typically focus on construction projects or maintenance, although many do both.

• Electricians who focus on construction install electrical systems in factories, businesses, and homes as they are built or renovated.
• Electricians who focus on maintenance fix or upgrade existing systems. Given that technology is constantly evolving, they stay busy!

Electricians need to be comfortable reading blueprints, handling tools, and working with people. Often, electricians enter a project to fix a problem, so keeping calm under pressure is key.

Training to become an Electrician

• Apprenticeship: These programs include on-the-job training and electrician classes. Local unions team up with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to provide thorough electrician training. This program generally lasts 4 years.
• Electrician Schools: Many community colleges or vocational schools offer electrician programs and electrician training that can lead to an electrician degree. Experience on the job is still highly recommended.

An Electrician's Salary and Job Outlook

Hourly wages for electrical technicians are typically around $22.32. A new electrical tech makes about 30-50 percent of that rate and, with experience, can have opportunities for advancement. An electrician tech with a wide range of skills, training and an electrician degree has a positive job outlook. Employment should increase about 12 percent over the next eight years.